“Spanish football in turmoil: Referee controversies and protests threaten the outcome of the League”

Protests against referees through managers have multiplied in recent weeks. Official announcements that point to the referees for actions that, on many occasions, are caused by their own players. Because the cards do not appear out of nowhere, even though sometimes the referees could turn a blind eye. They are the least, then only 7 of the 113 expulsions have come due to protests to the match judge.

The vast majority have their origin in violent gambling. Direct reds that, in addition, have to be endorsed by the VAR. Different yardsticks that must match. If this does not happen, like last weekend in Vallecas, the video arbitration can influence, either to remove the punishment or to propose it, as they did with Lejeune, who after seeing a yellow card in the first instance ended up in the locker room and leaving Rayo with ten. The Frenchman has the dubious honor of being –for now– the last expelled from a record League in which 113 red cards have already been shown. Adding all of the Bundesliga, the Premier and Calcio They do not reach this figure, which brings to the fore the severity of the referees, but also the toughness and picaresque of the players.

Cards in the main European leagues 2022/23

total cards

this seasons

Media total

red for team

Spanish referees

in the League and in the Champions League

Pitched fouls per party

Those who penalize the most in the League

yellow cardboard

in 13 games

red cards

in 14 matches

highest mean

fouls per game

Fuente: Own elaboration / ABC / J.Torres

Cards in the main

european leagues 2022/23

total cards

this seasons

Media total

red for team

Spanish referees

in the League and in the Champions League

Pitched fouls per party

Those who penalize the most

in the league

Yellow cards in 13 games

Highest average number of fouls per game

Red cards in 14 games

Fuente: Own elaboration / ABC / J.Torres

Medina Cantalejo, head of the Technical Committee (CTA), already warned at the beginning of the season that special interest was going to be put in stopping violent play. «One of the objectives will be the protection of the players, which are the most precious asset of a team. We have to differentiate well between simple fouls, yellow cards and expulsions, which is one of the pending subjects. Last year, very tough actions escaped us, even with the injury of a player”, pointed out the president of the referees at the press conference prior to the start of the season. That same trend was explained to the clubs and was presented in all the First and Second division locker rooms. They were warned, although it does not seem that they paid much attention to that talk.

That zeal to stop the violent has translated into more red cards, but also fewer injuries. After a 2021-22 season in which he exceeded the limit for casualties in the League (above 500), it seems that the zeal of the referees is helping to contain the days that the players spend in the infirmary. In fact, Spain is the European Championship with the healthiest players, well above what happens, for example, in the Premier and the Bundesliga. Coincidence or not, the truth is that Medina Cantalejo’s thesis is fulfilled.

disenchantment of the clubs

Having fewer locker room injuries hasn’t helped the teams, bent on criminalizing referees as if they were the ones doing the kicking. The last to show their anger with the whistle collective was Sevilla, on the tightrope after a season full of ups and downs that has led them to fight for European positions to do so to avoid relegation. «Sevilla wants to show its deep concern and its absolute rejection of many of the arbitration decisions made this season in relation to the yellow and red cards received by its players. The club has always been and will be absolutely respectful of the refereeing group, knowing how complicated it is to carry out arbitration work, but from the club we cannot share many of the decisions in relation to the cards received by our players, which In the long run it has seriously harmed us in the competition. The statement then outlines a series of Statistics that place Sevilla as the club most punished by referees, focusing almost solely on the number of warnings for a foul, as if it were necessary to give a certain number of kicks before being punished. As if their harshness and violence could not be directly sanctioned in the first minute of the game.

Behind closed doors, in internal conversations, within the refereeing community, the group of players is pointed out as the main culprits for the increase in reprimands. The picaresque and the tension Accumulated in a very even course has led to more fouls and many of them have had to be punished with a card.

An independent CTA

Those who have suffered the most with the reds have been the cadista Iza and the bético Luiz Felipe, expelled three times, although in the case of the Brazilian they arrived in the first twenty days of the League. And that, between sanctions and injuries, he had barely played eleven of those games. An outrage, especially considering that in five years in Italy he had barely been expelled once. Even so, the central defender himself intoned the mea culpa and promised to improve in that aspect and since then he has not seen a single yellow card. Clean record for him, which shows that his own will also helps. Not all of his teammates have succeeded, because last weekend, Canales returned to the path of the changing rooms before the end after a catch at the wrong time. “I made a serious mistake and I assume my fault for the defeat,” wrote the midfielder, who returned to the pitch after having served the punishment imposed for a previous red card. In fact, it is

Betis the second team with the most expelled from the League (12), only behind Elche (13). Sevilla (10) completes the podium, which adds 90 yellow to those three reds. Classification that they would never have wanted to star in. Some of these clubs want to propose in the League Assembly next Wednesday that the possibility of the CTA leaving the protection of the Federation (RFEF) to become an independent entity be discussed. Something that is not contemplated by the body chaired by Luis Rubiales.

The stoppages due to the increase in bookings have caused an unexpected side effect that also annoys the clubs. The games are taking a long time, with an average length of close to five minutes and that sometimes it has gone above ten. Cádiz has been one of the teams that have suffered the most from those eternal extensions in which they have lost up to ten points. Too much if we take into account how even the lower zone of the classification is.